It is well known in the manufacturing industry to ship manufactured articles in bulk from a manufacturing location to an assembly plant. It is desirable to ship these manufactured articles in containers which securely nest and protect the manufactured articles during shipment. It is also desirable that the containers be readily opened and closed to facilitate the loading and unloading of the manufactured articles In addition, it is desirable that the shipping containers collapse or unfold to a configuration which occupies a minimal volume for return of the shipping containers to the point of origin for reuse.